Apparatus for carbonizing or distilling materials



March 4, 1930. SIM EWEN ,7 I APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING OR DISTILLING MATERIALS FilediJuly 1929 2 Sheets-Shet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS s. MOEWEN' March 4, 930.

APPARATUS FOR clmsonrzme OR DISTILLI'NG MATERIALS Filed July '11, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY M PM ATTORNEY-4 Patented Ma r 19 30 UNITED STATES- SAMUEL MCEWEN,

or LONDON, ENGLAND, nssrenon r coat oxn'nxrnacrro LIMITED, MANUFACTURERS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND arrma'rus ron oannomzme' on msr rnmne marnnmns Application fled JuIy 11, 1959, Serial No.

For the purpose of causing or facilitating the travel through a retort of the material to be carbonized or distilled, it has been proposed to-providethe ret'ort with a'movable wall or a part of a wall which is given a reciprocating movement, and in some cases it has been proposed to construct such movable wall "in such. a manner that it permits escape of volatile products through it.

According 'to'the present inventionLa wall of a carbonizing or distilling retort is formed by an endless band cit-articulated chain grate passing over. rollers; 'or a wall of the retort ;may be made up of fixed wall sections and one or more such bands. 01 chain grates. In

another form the upper part of a vertical or inclinedretort may be of usual construction and a lower part of a wall may be constructed of the moving band or grate. Volatile prod- 2'0 ucts are preferablywithdrawn from the retort through the bandor grate.

In the case where the band 'or grate has reciprocating movement the upward stroke would not necessarily move the-material be- -cause of the head of material above, aided by gravity; however, additional resistance may be provided if movement-by the upward stroke is undesirable. I H

In the case of a horizontal retort the band or chain grate may constitute a side or the top orbottom of the retort,or a part thereof.

A- bench of retorts, each of rectangular cross section, may be constructed of fixed walls, containing heating flues, alternating with pairs of endless bands or chain grates, travellin continuously or I intermittently. Alternatively, a single endless band or chain grate, may be used between the fixed walls, ut in the case of vertical. retorts the grate must then be given a reciprocating movement. The spaces between the travelling bands and the fixed walls receive the material. The construction may be such that the distance between the travelling band and the fixed wall is adjustable, and whenit is desirable that the moving wall and the fixed wall should be at an angle to each other; the magnitude of this angle may be adjustable.

When it is desirable that the products formed in the different zones of the retort 377,372, and in Great Britain him 8, 1928.

should be kept separate, compartments may be constructed behind the chain grate insuch a manner that fromeach compartment may be withdrawn the products formed in the corresponding zonc.-

v The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention. Fi 1 is'a diagrammatic vertical section througl a bench of vertical retorts constructed according to the modification in which one wall of 'the retort is constituted by one of the runs of a continuously travelling grate, similar in general construction to a travelling grate stoker. Fig. 2 is a like view of a modification.

The bench'is composed of pairs of such" grates a alternating with walls b. 'T he grates run on driven sprocket drums c and idle drums d they are suitably supported against lateral pressure by guides e. The details of the construction will be obvious to those skilled in the art-of chain grate stokers, since the grates here shown are similar to such stokers, but operate in a Vertical plane instead of in a horizontal plane. They are provided with projections f intended to engage to some extent the coal which is charged from a hopper g and slides down the inclined planes h into spaces between the walls Z) and the grates. a. These spaces constitute the retorts, the coalbeing heated to a temperature suitable for low temperature carbonizationby passage of combustion gases through the fines-indicated in the walls I).

The particular construction of fiues here illustrated is as follows :z' is a furnace chamber fed by a gas burner-insertedat k. The

products of combustion take a zig-zag course through flues Z, m and n and soon, finally escaping through outlet 0. Thus the main heating is in the lower part of the retort. At -90 the zone at the level of the flue n passages 11'' in the wall receive steam which becomes superheated by the gases in the flue and issues through ports q into the retort. The space between the runs 0 these, together with the side plates sand the plates t which are behind the idle--run of the grate a, form a number of chambers into 1 f the entiless lis grate is subdivided by horizontal baflles 1' an'ck which the volatile products of carbonization. lo v escape freely through the grate. These products are withdrawn from each chamber by suction applied at the openings at and may.

be collected separately, if desired.

Owing to the aid afforded to gravity by the chain grate it is not generally necessary that there should be any taper in the walls f the retort, but provision is made for adjusting the bearings'o of the idle drum ii of the chain grate so that the latter may be slightly inclined to the wall I; when it is desired that the capacity of the retort shall increase somewhat in the downward direction.

The carbonized coal is discharged into hoppers w from which it is withdrawn by an airti ht delivering device in known manner.

eferring to Fig. 2, the passages for withdrawal of volatile products through the openings u are provided'with Valves which can be closed, and there is a pipe g in communication with the hopper to which receives the hot coke discharged from the retorts.

, Through this pipe 1 the volatile products of the carbonization are withdrawn, that is to I say the vapours and gases are drawn downwards from 'the retorts'r so that they pass through the hot coke in the lower part thereof and. in the hopper to, leaving the latter by the pipe y.

l he retort-1s adapted either for the mode ofoperation described with reference to Fig.

i l or as ust described,there being a valve (not shown) in pipezzg which is closed when the passages connected with openings u are open for the first mode of operation.

Having thus described the'nature of the i .said invention an d'the best means I know of heating wall, an endless chain grate conveyor,

and spaced from said heating wall to provide a'carbonizatio'n space, steam channels in the side of the heating wall ,which faces said chain grate,ports said fside o'f the heating w'all commu'nicating with said steam channels and; with the carbonization space, andmeans carrying the same into practicalv efiect, a claim:- U

1. In a carbonization retort, a stationary heating wall, an endless chain'grate conveyor, one runof which is substantially parallel to and spaced from said heating wall to provide I eating with the steam channels and with said spaces, gas collecting chambers, one on the side of each runremote from said heating wall, and means for conveying gas through said runs from said carbonization spaces to said collecting chambers.

4. In a carbonization apparatus, the combination of a heating wall, a pair of chain grate conveyors on oppositesides of said wall, one run of each of said conveyors being substantially parallel to and spaced from said wall so'as to provide carbonization spaces, steam channels in the opposite sides of said wall, ports in the sides ofthe wall communieating'with the steam channels and with said spaces, and means for separately taking ofi' gas from different portions of each gas from different portions of each of said spaces 'to said gas oollecting chambers respectively;

' of said spaces, comprising gas collecting chambers and means for separately conveying In testimony whereof I have signed my i name to this specification.

. SAMUEL MoEWEN.

a carbonization space, steamcha'nnelsin the side of said heating wall which 'faces said 'f a chain .grate ports in said "side of the heating wall commnnicating' with the, steam channels and with said carbonization. space,a gas col lecting chamber on the side of said runremote from the heating wall, and'means for conveying gas through said run fromthe carbonization spaceto said gas-collecting chamber.

2. In a carbonization retort, 'a stationary one run ofwhichis substantially parallel to forli separately taking as gas from different 1 portions. of said space comprising gas collect- .si ng chambers and means for separately con-,'

veying gas from dilierentj portions ofsaid 

